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Archives for February 2026

You are here: Home / 2026 / Archives for February 2026

The Best Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot

February 5, 2026 by //  by Holly Leave a Comment

Baked Potatoes are the BEST in the Instant Pot! They come out creamy and fluffy every time! Plus they’re fast, easy, nutritious, and filling.

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The Best Baked Potatoes in the Instant Pot

Cooking Potatoes in the Instant Pot is so easy, you'll ever want to use the stove or oven for them again!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Cook Time13 minutes mins
Pressure Cooking Time13 minutes mins
Total Time28 minutes mins
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Comfort Food, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Kid-Approved, Kid-Friendly
Servings: 6
Calories: 131kcal
Author: Holly

Ingredients

  • 6 Potatoes
  • 1 cup Water

Instructions

  • Place whole potatoes on the trivet in the Instant Pot with one cup of water.
  • Close and secure lid.
  • Set valve to Sealing.
  • Select [Manual] program.
  • Press + or – to set cooking time of 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your potatoes.
  • Set to High Pressure and wait 10 seconds for pot to beep and let you know it is heating up. It will take around 10 minutes for your Instant Pot to reach pressure, and then the clock will begin to count down. When the time reaches zero, the Instant Pot will beep again and switch to the [Keep Warm] mode, and begin to count up.
  • While keeping your face and hands away, Quick Release the valve by covering with a towel and turning steam release to allow the steam to escape. Open the lid and stick a fork in the potatoes to check for doneness. The potatoes should still be firm, but not at all crunchy. And the fork should go into the potato easily.

Notes

Use as baked potatoes. Top with all the usual ingredients: Butter, sour cream, shredded cheese, crumbled bacon, green onions, ham, broccoli, or chili!

Nutrition

Calories: 131kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 0.2g | Saturated Fat: 0.05g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 716mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 3IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

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Filed Under: Dinner Accomplished, Gluten Free, Instant Pot, Kids in the Kitchen, Kitchen Survival, Real Food, Recipes Tagged With: Cooking, Dinner, family dinner, Gluten Free, Instant Pot

Perfect Black Beans in the Instant Pot (Soaked or Not)

February 5, 2026 by //  by Holly Leave a Comment

Black beans are a versatile ingredient to have ready for weeknight meals, to add to quesadillas or tacos, or to throw in a soup to make it more hearty and nutritious. Make some today and enjoy them all week!

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Perfect Black Beans in the Instant Pot (Soaked or Not)

How to cook dried black beans in your Instant Pot
Prep Time4 minutes mins
Pressure Cook Time35 minutes mins
Total Time1 hour hr
Course: Main Course, Salad, Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine: Beans & Rice, Mexican, Southern
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dinner, Gluten-free, Kid-Approved, Pantry, THM-E, Vegetarian
Servings: 12
Calories: 147kcal
Author: Holly
Cost: $1.50

Equipment

  • Pressure Cooker

Ingredients

  • 1 lb dried black beans
  • 6 cups water
  • 1 tbsp olive oil Any oil or fat may be used here.
  • 2 bay leaves Optional
  • 1 cup onion, diced Optional. 1 cup diced onion is about 1 medium onion.
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced Optional. Substitute garlic powder by using 1/3 teaspoon of garlic powder for every clove of fresh garlic.
  • 1 teaspoon salt* *to taste, after cooking beans

Instructions

  • Sort and rinse dried beans.
  • Pour beans into Instant Pot.
  • Add water, oil, and optional seasonings.
  • Check lid to make sure sealing ring and valves are inserted properly. Close the lid.
  • Turn Steam Release valve to [Sealing].
  • Set Pressure Cooking Program to [Pressure Cook] or [Manual] or [Bean/Chili].
  • Make sure your Instant Pot is on HIGH pressure by pressing the [Pressure] button until it cycles to HIGH pressure. The LUX model of Instant Pot only has High pressure, so you can skip this step.
  • Set pressure cooking time to 35 minutes by pressing the [+] or [-] button.
  • Pause for 10 seconds while you wait for the Instant Pot to start. Or Press [Start] if you have a model that has a Start button, such as Ultra or Max.
  • Instant Pot will heat up, come up to pressure, and display countdown while pressure cooking.
  • Allow pot to Natural Release for at least 15 minutes before manually releasing the remaining pressure from the pot. Natural release time is cook time when cooking beans in the Instant Pot.
  • Open the Instant Pot and add salt,* to taste.
  • Stir well and serve as desired.

Notes

  • Always pressure cook beans with 1 tablespoon of oil or fat to keep foaming down.
  • Remember that Natural Release time is cook time. The pot is still extremely hot and your beans are still cooking while the pot is slowly coming down from being under pressure. Do not skip the Natural Release step in cooking beans because they may not be done cooking when you get the lid open.
  • When you open the pot after cooking, stir and then taste test the beans. If they need extra time, simply set them to pressure cook for another 5 or so minutes. They will come to pressure fairly quickly at this point, because they are still very hot. Natural Release for 10 minutes and test again.
  • If you prefer soaking your beans before cooking, try soaking for 6-8 hours or overnight. Then drain, rinse, and proceed with recipe. 
  • For a quicker soak, cover beans in hot water and soak for 1-2 hours before draining, rinsing and proceeding with the recipe.
  • Soaking beans may prevent or reduce gas on your stomach, so if beans upset your digestion, try soaking them before cooking. 

Nutrition

Calories: 147kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 202mg | Potassium: 586mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 8IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg

Perfect Black Beans in the Instant Pot (Soaked or Not)Read More

Filed Under: Dinner Accomplished, Gluten Free, Instant Pot, Kids in the Kitchen, Kitchen Survival, Real Food, Recipes, Soup, Uncategorized Tagged With: Cooking, Dinner, Gluten Free, Instant Pot, pressure cooker

Perfect Peel Sweet Potatoes in the Instant Pot

February 4, 2026 by //  by Holly Leave a Comment

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Perfect Peel Sweet Potatoes in Instant Pot

Tender and delicious every time, Sweet Potatoes were made for the Instant Pot!
Prep Time3 minutes mins
Total Time20 minutes mins
Course: Breakfast, Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American, Southern
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dairy-free, Dinner, Gluten-free, Kid-Friendly, Paleo, THM-E, Vegetarian
Servings: 4
Calories: 112kcal
Author: Holly
Cost: $2.00

Ingredients

  • 4 Sweet Potatoes
  • 1 1/2 cups water

Instructions

  • Wash sweet potatoes and cut off any bad spots.
  • Place into Instant Pot on top of trivet.
  • Add water to pot.
  • Check lid to make sure sealing ring and valves are inserted properly. Close the lid.
  • Turn Steam Release valve to [Sealing].
  • Set Pressure Cooking Program to [Pressure Cook] or [Manual].
  • Make sure your Instant Pot is on HIGH pressure by pressing the [Pressure] button until it cycles to HIGH pressure. The LUX model of Instant Pot only has High pressure, so you can skip this step.
  • Set pressure cooking time to 12-15 minutes by pressing the [+] or [-] button. Choose the time based on the size of your sweet potatoes.
  • Pause for 10 seconds while you wait for the Instant Pot to start. Or Press [Start] if you have a model that has a Start button, such as Ultra or Max.
  • Instant Pot will heat up, come up to pressure, and display countdown while pressure cooking.
  • When the pressure cooking cycle is finished, Quick Release Instant Pot by manually shifting Steam Release Valve from [Sealing] to [Venting]. OR feel free to allow the pot to Natural Release. The potatoes will be great either way.
  • Open the Instant Pot and use tongs to place sweet potatoes on a plate for serving.
  • Serve with toppings or use in your favorite sweet potato dish.

Notes

Cook as many sweet potatoes as you need in the Instant Pot. You still only need 1 1/2 cups of water. 
Sweet Potatoes make fantastic leftovers! You can cook up several and have sweet potatoes ready-to-go for the week!

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 112kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 438mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 18443IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 1mg

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Filed Under: Dinner Accomplished, Gluten Free, Instant Pot, Kitchen Survival, Real Food, Recipes, Uncategorized Tagged With: Cooking, Dinner, family dinner, Gluten Free, Instant Pot, pressure cooker, recipe

Magic Flavor Dust

February 4, 2026 by //  by Holly Leave a Comment

We use this seasoning on veggies, meat, and in homemade dressings like Ranch Dip!

I realized I was constantly pulling out these four spices from my cabinet every time I was cooking. So I combined them all and now I just have to grab one container!

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5 from 1 vote

Magic Flavor Dust

Use this basic seasoning to easily add lots of flavor to meats, veggies, and dips. It is Magic!
Prep Time5 minutes mins
Course: Seasoning
Cuisine: American, Farm-to-Table, Real Food
Keyword: Budget-friendly, Dairy-free, Gluten-free, No Fillers, Seasoning
Calories: 116kcal
Author: Holly

Equipment

  • Funnel
  • Empty spice container

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 Tablespoons onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon salt
  • 1 Tablespoon ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Measure all parts through a funnel and into empty spice container.
  • Close lid and shake thoroughly.
  • Use to season meats, veggies, sauces, soups, and dips.

Notes

We usually make a large batch of this! You can use any volume measurement to increase or decrease the recipe. Just use the same amount for each item: one part salt, one part pepper, two parts garlic powder, two parts onion powder.

Nutrition

Calories: 116kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 0.5g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Sodium: 6997mg | Potassium: 410mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 33IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 97mg | Iron: 2mg

Magic Flavor DustRead More

Filed Under: Dinner Accomplished, Gluten Free, Kitchen Survival, Real Food, Uncategorized

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